Scoundrel's Heart
by Vykk Weasley
Summary: 19 ABY. Vykk Draygo clings to the galaxy's underbelly by the skin of his teeth. Brianna Tharsen arrives with a proposition. This story follows them as they face danger after danger together.
1. Chaos

Vykk sat in a seedy cantina in the bad part of Tyrena. Dirt and slime stubbornly clung to the walls and smoke reduced line of sight to almost nil. He had been staring into his glass for what seemed like an hour. His mind drifted from one topic to another almost at random. He had gone too long without work. The last year had passed in a complete haze as he drifted from place to place. His clothes were worn and dirty. His scraggly brown hair hung almost to his shoulders, the bangs almost covering his brown eyes. He was in bad need of a shave and smelled of bantha fodder. But most of all, he missed the touch of a good woman.

"Excuse me, are you Vykk Draygo?" a woman asked.

She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Of average height and slender build, her delicate features were framed by a cascade of shimmering blonde hair. Her outfit was military in cut, but didn't detract from the feminine curves evident under the fabric. Her piercing blue eyes drew Vykk into their voluminous depths. For a few seconds, he stared dumbfounded at the vision of splendor standing in front of him. Blinking, he regained his composure. Noticing her arms crossed over her chest, he at last responded.

"Who wants to know?" Vykk asked indignantly.

"Oh, no one. I only came here to offer you a contract," she said offhandedly.

Vykk could barely contain his curiosity. A contract? After all these months?

"What's the cargo and where's it going?" he asked.

"The cargo isn't here. We need you to go to Kessel and pick it up. I presume you have a ship," she said, almost sounding bored.

"Yeah, I have a ship, the _Lightfinger_. Kessel, you say? You talkin spice? And who's we?" he pressed.

"A qualified yes to your first two questions. As for who we are, you don't really need to know that. Suffice it to say that we are an influential group of people interested in furthering our ambitions," she answered almost by rote.

"Alright, I can accept that. What exactly are the arrangements? Will there be any danger to me?" he asked anxiously.

"There shouldn't be too much. You've been to Kessel, Mr. Draygo. Smuggling is all there is. You'll be in no more danger than you would be at a dozen other smuggler havens," she said, trying to quiet Vykk's fears.

"Alright, how much does it pay?" he asked eagerly.

The woman named a figure. Vykk's eyes almost exploded from his head, but he let no further evidence of his surprise show on his face.

"Sounds good. When do I need to pick it up?" he asked.

"We'd appreciate it if you could leave immediately," she said with a thin smile.

"Okay, one last thing. What's your name?" Vykk asked, plainly curious.

"You can call me Brianna. And perhaps you can wash yourself with that pile of drool dribbling from your mouth," she said with obvious distaste as she turned and left.

"Will do," Vykk replied to her retreating back.

After a few minutes, he settled his bill and left the cantina. With a certain spring in his step, he made his way to the spaceport. But first, he stopped off for some clean clothes and a thorough visit to a public 'fresher. Finally smelling of human again, he arrived at the spaceport. After getting clearance for takeoff, he launched.

The _Lightfinger_ emerged from hyperspace in the Kessel system. The sight that greeted Vykk on reversion chilled his blood. An Imperial Star Destroyer formed the centerpiece of the aggressing fleet. Surrounding it were a variety of support ships. Two Carrack Cruisers flanked the Star Destroyer's bow while a single Dreadnaught kept watch over its stern. Pickets and fighters swarmed around this core fleet. Arrayed against them was a rag-tag assortment of modified freighters, fighters, and a couple battered capital ships.

"Emperor's black bones!" he exclaimed.

He continued to curse fluently in multiple languages as the shock of finding two opposing fleets slugging it out assimilated in his mind. Thirty seconds later, he began to ponder what his best course of action would be. He certainly couldn't land on Kessel; his way was blocked. Joining in the furball would be problematic since he had no copilot. Suddenly, he heard a commotion from one of his smuggling compartments. Mystified, he went to investigate.

Feeling the reversion from hyperspace, Brianna lifted the lid of the smuggling compartment slightly. Seeing no one in the immediate vicinity, she heaved the lid backwards. It made a loud banging noise that reverberated throughout the entire ship. Seconds later, Vykk blundered into the hallway to find Brianna waiting impatiently with her arms crossed.

"What are you doing here?" shouted an incredulous Vykk.

"I see you clean up well," she commented, "I'm here to ensure that the cargo gets picked up and taken to my employer."

"Why stow aboard my ship if you could have done the job yourself?" he asked, mystified.

"I'm not as gifted a pilot as you are reputed to be. We anticipated certain difficulties would arise in securing our cargo. However, we didn't expect it to be a full-on Imperial raid. Their presence here makes this delivery extremely problematic," she explained.

"Ya think? I'm not about to enter that maelstrom for a few thousand credits!" he shouted vehemently.

"If you require more money for your services, we will of course provide it. But we need this delivery made on schedule," she insisted.

"Why?" he asked.

"That's not for you to know. Will doubling your pay be sufficient to retain your services?" she asked quickly.

"Sure, but what do I do if I'm queried by the Imps?" he asked.

"You're a smuggler. Just use a different transponder code," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"If this doesn't work, I'm going to do anything and everything to save my precious hide," he said, jerking his thumb at his chest.

Vykk returned to the cockpit with Brianna in tow. Finding out that Brianna was a qualified copilot, she took the seat next to him and they carefully began to fly towards the battle. Within seconds, they received their first query.

"Unidentified ship, this is the Imperial Star Destroyer _Bereavement_, please activate your IFF transponder or prepare to be boarded," an imperious voice said over the comm.

Brianna detected a distinct accent in the man's clipped, precise intonations. It was Vykk, however, that gave voice to her thoughts.

"That there is a standard grade Imp, probably from Eriadu. I can almost hear his nose up in the air. Oh well, I guess I should oblige him," Vykk said as he casually flipped on the IFF transponder.

"Very good, freighter. Now identify yourself and your ship," the voice ordered.

"This is Captain Ogyard Kkyv of the civilian freighter _Regnifth Gil_," Vykk said, barely managing to keep a straight face.

This prompted Brianna to nearly collapse in a fit of silent giggles. Vykk's face broke into a broad grin as well. After all, he had to give them some chance.

"I see your registry here Mr. Kkyv. What are you doing in this sector of space?" the voice asked.

"I'm carrying replacement parts for Kessel's atmospheric generators," Vykk replied.

"I suggest you turn back. There is a large naval battle taking place in your vicinity," the voice advised.

"I'm willing to take my chances," Vykk suggested.

"Very well. On your head be it," the voice said.

"Commander Navard, be advised that the freighter _Regnifth Gil_ is a civilian and not to be fired upon."

Commander Tarven Navard of Blaze Squadron sighed. Why did civilians always have to get in the way? They could have at least stood off until the battle was over. About to turn his attention back to the battle, something suddenly caught his eye. There was something familiar about the civilian freighter's profile. Its name rang a bell in the back of his head, too. _Regnifth Gil_? What the hell kind of name was that for a Corellian ship? Then it struck him.

"The _Lightfinger_! Vykk Draygo, you conniving bastard!"

Flipping on his comm, he hailed the _Bereavement_.

"Lieutenant Vax, that is not a typical civilian freighter. I recognize her profile. It's the _Lightfinger_."

"I'll get Captain Blon," Vax said through clenched teeth.

"Commander Navard, has the _Lightfinger_ landed yet?" Blon asked.

"No, sir, but the enemy fleet is between us and him," Tarven replied.

"Return to the ship," Blon ordered, "We'll provide you and your squad mates with an unmarked shuttle for a covert insertion."

"Very good sir," Tarven acknowledged.

Secure in their landing berth, Vykk and Brianna debarked from the _Lightfinger_.

"I never thought I'd be on solid ground again," Vykk said, relieved.

"You can kiss it if you want. I wouldn't think any less of you," Brianna said wryly.

Vykk narrowed his eyes at her. "Hey, I have every reason to be this damn paranoid, alright?" he said with an edge in his voice. He stared daggers at her for a moment, then, sighing, he offered a compromise. "How about this? If I quit grousing, will you shut up?"

"Deal," she agreed, "Besides, we have business to attend to."

"Will I get shot at?" he asked.

"I doubt it. Didn't you say you'd stop complaining?" she asked, mildly annoyed.

"Fine. No more grumbling," Vykk grumbled.

Brianna looked sideways at Vykk but offered no further comment.

"So, where are we picking up the cargo?" he asked.

"I can't tell you at the moment. Just follow me," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," Vykk said with a roll of his eyes.

She led him deep into the main complex. They passed several other ships in various states of loading and unloading. Soon they came upon a greasy little door.

"This it?" Vykk asked.

"Yes, now seal your word port," she snapped, "I need to conduct some delicate negotiations regarding the cargo, and I don't need you screwing it up. If you say anything, I guarantee that you will be shot. Whether I get shot as well is less evident, but I'd rather not risk it."

"Ooh, touchy. I hope I'm not starting to rub off on you," Vykk teased.

At Brianna's withering stare, Vykk finally took the hint.

"My lips are sealed," he said as he lapsed into silence.

Brianna punched a code into the door and it slid open. Waiting for them were four heavily armed Rodians. Vykk hadn't smelled Rodians in over a year. Now the stench threatened to overpower him, but he kept his face blank.

"Who's this?" one of the Rodians asked gruffly.

"My pilot, nothing more," Brianna replied brusquely.

They seemed to accept this, but then began a thorough frisking of both Vykk and Brianna. Relieving them of their weapons, they gestured to the pair that they should follow.

Tarven and his squadmates landed on Kessel in the unmarked shuttle. As Tarven surveyed the landing pad, he spotted the _Lightfinger_. He saw a man matching Vykk Draygo's profile walking with a woman. He gestured to his men to shadow them. Vykk and his companion appeared oblivious to the possibility that someone may be tailing them. After several minutes, they arrived at a dingy door. The woman entered a code into a recessed keypad and the door opened. Tarven could just barely see two Rodians waiting inside. Some barely audible conversation took place accompanied by a rustling sound. Frisking them, no doubt. Recognizing this as an opportune moment to apprehend the two humans, Tarven signaled his men to move forward. Leading the pack, he slunk up behind Vykk. Suddenly, the Rodians reacted to the Blazes' presence.

"What in the blazes?" one of them shouted, bringing a blaster to bear.

Tarven hastily pistol-whipped both Vykk and Brianna as his men mowed down the four Rodians in a torrent of blasterfire.


	2. This Whole Mess

When Vykk finally came to, he was bound securely to a chair. Looking around, he realized he was in an Imperial interrogation room. Adrenaline immediately began to pump through his veins as he struggled against his bonds.

"I see you're finally awake," an unseen voice intoned. "Sorry we kept you out so long, but your female friend put up quite a struggle. Incapacitated two of my men, if you can believe that."

"Who are you? Where am I? Why are you holding me?" Vykk demanded.

He finally came into the light. "I guess you can't recognize my voice unless it's chasing you."

"Tarven?" Vykk asked, incredulous.

Tarven nodded. "Where you are is immaterial, and why we're holding you should be quite obvious."

"I don't know anything," Vykk insisted.

"We can't just take your word for it. We need verification," Tarven argued.

"Fine. Dose me with truth drug or take some glitterstim," Vykk suggested.

"No thank you. I am well aware that anyone with formidable constitution can resist both of those interrogation techniques. I like to use the tried and tested method," Tarven said nastily.

As he said this, a black interrogation droid floated menacingly into the room. The door shut and Tarven began.

This was just great, Brianna thought. Trapped in an Imperial detention cell with her mission uncompleted, she could see no way out. When they apprehended her, she had immediately offered them huge sums of money to leave her there. Unfortunately, they were some of those few Imperials that didn't take bribes. She then shifted to death threats, claiming that her organization would enact swift retribution. They had just laughed, saying that any reprisal would probably fall on her shoulders. They were absolutely right. What most surprised her, however, was that they hadn't questioned her yet. Either they knew all about her, or they were trying out the weaker Vykk first. As if summoned by her words, three men entered her cell.

"Good evening Miss Brianna," Tarven greeted, "Your companion was most helpful. I hope for your sake that you follow his sterling example."

So the sniveling little vrelt had told them her name, she thought. She was glad that she didn't tell him her full name, or anything else for that matter. He thought it was just a spice run, but she knew better. If she could just hold out during interrogation, she might yet get out of this situation alive.

"Judging from the level of cooperation you exhibited when we detained you, I think we'll start where we left off with your friend Mr. Draygo," Tarven said.

A faint whirring sound could be heard from the doorway. It became clearer as the black droid floated into view. It was an IT-3 Interrogator droid. Brianna had never faced an IT before. They were reputed to be very good at what they did. Moreover, since they were droids, they didn't hesitate until their victims said something of value.

"I think first we'll try some simple chemical injections. If you have an allergy to any interrogation drugs, it would be in your best interest to tell us what you know before you go into cardiac arrest," Tarven said dryly.

As the droid injected Brianna with the first substance, her head began to feel as if it were floating. She could hear Tarven asking her questions about her mission. Why not tell him? They could only kill her once. She opened her mouth to answer when she had a sudden realization that they were drugging her.

"I was just his copilot. As far as I knew, we were delivering replacement parts for Kessel's atmospheric generators," she answered flatly.

Tarven sighed. He made sure the hypo was loaded with the increased sensitivity drug and instructed the droid to inject her with it.

"That last shot strengthened your pain receptors and damped down your endorphins. Feel free to volunteer any information that you think we'd like to know," he said.

The droid began to work on her with its laser scalpel and electroshock probe. Amid her screams, Tarven couldn't discern anything coherent escaping her lips. After five minutes, he decided to pause the droid, hoping that she would be simultaneously grateful for the reprieve and fearful of a continuation.

"I would like to release you, but that can't happen until you tell me what I need to know. Now, who are you working for?" he asked sharply.

Every inch of Brianna's body was throbbing with pain. For a full minute after he asked his question, all she could do was moan. Finally, she got some sort of grip on herself.

"Didn't he tell you?" she croaked.

"He told us you were smugglers. He was under the impression that he was working for you smuggling glitterstim from Kessel," Tarven replied tersely.

Deciding to divulge part of the truth, she replied, "I only told him that to motivate him. I knew he was a smuggler and that he was a good pilot, but I didn't think he'd react well to a legitimate job. Most if not all smugglers have outstanding warrants from one side of the galaxy to the other."

Tarven's eyes narrowed. "If you must insist on misleading me like this, I'll just have to see if I can make you more pliable." With a vicious jab, he separated her jaw. "There, now you can't tell me anything of value even if you wanted to. Let the next ten minutes be an object lesson on the futility of lying to an Imperial officer," he said darkly.

He slapped her hard across the face, then began uppercutting her stomach, which caused her to vomit all over herself. He then began jabbing her kidneys repeatedly. Only when she began to spit up blood did he move on. He landed five devastating right hooks to her left temple, yet she remained conscious. Sensing that she was weakened enough, he undid her restraints and she sagged to the floor. Hoisting her by her jacket, he slammed her against the wall. Letting her slump to the floor once more, he began kicking her in the stomach. She folded around the first impact and resumed throwing up blood and chunks of partially digested food. Then he landed a devastating kick to her windpipe.

As she struggled for breath, he looked at his hands. Most of the blood was hers, but some had come from tiny gashes in his hands caused by the ferocity of his assault. He looked back down at her and saw that she was breathing normally again, albeit with a slight wheeze. He lifted her bodily into the air and threw her against the opposite wall. He thought he distinctly heard one or more bones snap. Smiling, he resumed landing sharp kicks on every inch of her body. He kicked her back, her legs, her arms, her chest and everywhere in between. Tiring of that, he jerked her up by the arm. Holding her right arm firmly in his hands, he broke it. A strangled scream escaped her lips.

The beating went on for another five minutes. Beginning to feel somewhat fatigued, Tarven looked up at the chronometer and raised his eyebrow in surprise. He had been beating her senseless for fifteen minutes. Satisfied, he left her lying there and locked the door behind him on his way out.

She could barely move, and when she did, she felt endless agony. Ripped in several places, her clothes barely preserved her modesty. Not only her body, but her mind reeled from the thoroughness of the beating. She was glad he broke her jaw. After the first few minutes, she had been mumbling the answers to all of his questions in the vain hope that he would cease. She had never been trained to endure an interrogation like that. She could handle drugs and verbal abuse, but she hadn't anticipated that they would beat a woman like that. She could only find solace in the fact that they had thus far not graduated to more invasive torture.

Five men entered her cell. Two were stormtroopers and the other three had the distinct look of medics. Two of the medics lifted her gingerly onto a repulsor gurney and the group led her out of the cell. Her eyes were so swollen that she could only discern light changes. They soon arrived in a bright medical ward. The stormtroopers retreated to a respectful distance as the chief medic went about ascertaining her condition. After setting her broken bones, he and the other two medics prepared her for bacta immersion. First, they sedated her. Then they stripped off the ragged remains of her clothes and carefully fitted her with special breathable undergarments that wouldn't hinder bacta therapy. Ten minutes later, she was floating lifelessly in a bacta tank.

It was two days later when Brianna finally swam back to consciousness. Her eyelids flew open and immediately shut at the brightness that assaulted her eyes. Gradually, she reopened them and saw that she was in a bacta tank. Two medical technicians were working in the immediate vicinity. There was also a stormtrooper standing guard in the far corner of the room. She slowly focused on his helmet. She saw the helmet twitch and felt a sense of impending doom, realizing that they now knew she was conscious. The stormtrooper canted his helmet slightly, obviously reporting to his commander. Minutes later, Tarven strode into the room.

"I see that you've been healing up quite nicely. In fact, the chief medic says that you'll be ready to leave the infirmary by tomorrow. Then we can pick up where we left off," Tarven said with an evil grin.

For the first time in years, Brianna felt the stirrings of genuine fear. She knew it was only a matter of time before the Empire got what they wanted out of her. That time would be considerably shortened since the sadistic Tarven was the chief interrogator. No matter what happened, Brianna's future looked bleak.

Vykk was embarrassed that he had been broken so easily. He hadn't even put up a fight. Tarven had come in and played a recording of Brianna's "interview." Vykk could only hold his mouth open in horror as he listened to her anguished screams and ragged moans. After the first five minutes, he began glaring daggers at Tarven, who only smiled. Towards the end, Vykk had been struggling against his bonds, wanting to do nothing less than tear Tarven limb from limb. He eventually subsided and returned to his private shame. From the sounds of it, she had mentally fought tooth and nail, whereas he had been nothing but a sniveling coward.

Vykk was seething with hatred, now free of the bonds and sitting alone in his cell. In his mind, he thought of various creative ways of destroying the Empire in general and Tarven in particular. He just had to wait for one inept guard and he'd be home free. Standing up, he got a lightheaded feeling. Leaning against the wall for a minute, he let the dizzy spell pass. Walking over to the door, he felt a feeling more powerful than hatred. He felt hope swell in his chest, and a sense that he was at least partially in control of his immediate future. He took off his shirt and sidled up to the door, waiting to strangle the first person that walked through it.

Half an hour later, his wish came true. A stormtrooper walked confidently into the cell. Before he could react, Vykk was on him, pulling his shirt tight under the man's helmet. The guard instinctively went for his blaster, but Vykk jostled him enough that he dropped it. He then grabbed Vykk's wrists, attempting to loosen his grip. Doggedly, Vykk held on. As the seconds ticked by, the stormtrooper's resistance became more frantic until he finally sagged against Vykk, unconscious.

Vykk retrieved the man's blaster and pumped a stun shot into him. He then proceeded to strip the stormtrooper, donning his armor. He poked his head out the door, seeing if the scuffle had attracted any attention. Fortunately, he was at the end of a long corridor. Stepping out into the hallway, Vykk closed the door behind him. He quietly made his way to the control room. Once there, he found a terminal and accessed all available information on Brianna, including her cell number. He downloaded the route to her detention block onto a datapad he found in the pocket of his appropriated uniform. Stuffing the datapad back into the pocket, he left the detention block. Directly across from the detention block was the first turbolift. Vykk stepped inside and keyed in his destination. After the doors closed, he sagged against the wall. He was devoutly grateful for the stormtrooper helmet that concealed his features. The detention center guards hadn't even questioned him as he went about his business. Now he was on his way to rescue someone that by all rights he shouldn't care about. Nevertheless, she was the only person who had any answers.

As Brianna woke up, her first thought was of unbelievable pain. She had endured yet another torture session with Tarven. Unlike the first interrogation, Tarven hadn't laid a hand on her. He stood idly by as the interrogator droid did its work. The one piece of information they gleaned from her was her full name. They were able to parse it out amidst her escalating screams. She only had a few small marks on her. The droid had dug its vibroscalpel into sensitive nerve clusters and twisted the blade. At the end, there were twin rivers of tears running down her face and soaking her blouse. Her bottom lip trailed blood from where she had bit down on it. Before leaving, Tarven indicated what the next session would consist of. He described in grisly detail how he was going to take full advantage of her feminine weaknesses. A click at the door broke her out of her reverie. She steeled herself for the worst as a stormtrooper stepped into her cell. The stormtrooper slowly removed his helmet. All she could do was hold her mouth open in surprise.

"Don't just sit there looking like a Gamorrean," Vykk said sardonically.

Brianna stood up and stretched. She was still busy unkinking her muscles when she realized Vykk was staring at her. Looking down at her clothes, she blushed. "I guess our first priority should be finding me something to wear," she said sheepishly.

Vykk raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

"Did you take out the officer on duty at least?" she asked.

Vykk tapped the helmet. Brianna thought for a moment, a mischievous look blossoming on her face.

Vykk frowned in consternation. Then he got it. "You've got to be kidding me," he said disbelievingly.

"What's wrong? You don't think you can play the part of the big, bad guard?" she asked with full pouting lips.

Vykk's face turned bright red, but he managed to grate out, "Maybe I can. You've obviously got the meek prisoner act down."

"Ooh, touchy. Not used to a woman that can think for herself, are we?" she asked.

"I guess not," he growled.

"Alright, alright, enough fooling around. We need to get off this ship before our escapes are discovered," she said, all business.

Nodding in agreement, Vykk added, "I agree, but I'm not leaving without my ship."

"That's fine," she said, "We need to steal a hyperdrive capable ship to escape anyway."

"Okay then, do you know where it is?" he asked.

"It's most likely in vehicle deep storage, which is a deck or two above the aft hangar bays. All we'd have to do is subdue the chief tech and maybe a couple guards. The chief tech's datapad controls the lift," she explained.

"That means we need to get you a weapon," he said.

"I'll just use yours," she said.

"Then what will I shoot with?" he asked.

"You won't," she replied simply.

"I am not facing armed men without a blaster," Vykk said adamantly.

Brianna sighed. "You obviously know there's more to me than meets the eye. Well, I'm blessed with a variety of useful skills, chief among them being that I'm an accomplished assassin. So I'm extremely deadly with a blaster whereas you're mildly dangerous."

Vykk bristled at this, but made no further comment.

"Please, just trust me," she implored.

"Alright, but I can't give it to you until we get there. A prisoner with a blaster would set off warning bells in even the densest of Imperials," Vykk pointed out.

"Agreed. Put me in stun cuffs and let's go," she said briskly.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, slipping his helmet back on.

Brianna walked calmly ahead of Vykk down the corridor. Arriving at the control room, Vykk nodded at the detention center guards, who responded in kind. Brianna and Vykk continued walking until they reached the turbolift. Stepping inside, Vykk keyed in their destination. When the doors closed, they both heaved sighs of relief.

"I can't believe we're going to get away with this," Vykk said disbelievingly.

"Don't count your hawk-bat eggs before they hatch," Brianna warned, "We've been damn lucky to get as far as we have."

"No doubt about that," Vykk consented.

Unexpectedly, Brianna's face softened. "But you did overpower one of our captors and came to rescue me from torture at the hands of one of the most evil men I've ever met. I can't thank you enough."

At that moment, a million thoughts passed through Vykk's mind. He grabbed hold of one of them and acted. Removing his helmet and letting it clatter to the floor, he cupped Brianna's face in his hands and kissed her. He inhaled her heavenly scent, savored the sweet taste of her lips and luxuriated in their gentle touch. He grabbed her waist, pulling her closer. Brianna responded with equal enthusiasm. The stun cuffs rendered her hands useless, so she used every other tool available to her to savor the moment. Shoving her tongue into his mouth, she drank of him. The outside world faded into oblivion for this, their moment of passion.

Several seconds later, they finally disengaged. Their faces flushed red as the heat of the moment faded. Both were breathing heavily. For a while, neither spoke. Brianna broke the silence.

"Wow. That was…" Brianna began.

"Amazing," Vykk finished.

"Yes," Brianna said.

Abruptly, she shook her head. "We need to focus on the task at hand. We need to get off this ship. Get your helmet back on and train that blaster on me. The turbolift is stopping."

Vykk slammed the helmet onto his shoulders and brought the blaster up quickly to cover her. Brianna stepped out first, then they made their way to the next turbolift. Three turbolifts later, they arrived at vehicle deep storage.

Exiting the turbolift, they made their way towards the chief tech. Looking around, they could see three guards. Vykk devoutly hoped that Brianna was as talented as she said she was. With this thought, he handed her the blaster and she opened fire. The first guard went down with two holes in his chest. She shot the second neatly through the head. Then she felt a laser blast pierce her right shoulder, spinning her around. As she fell, Vykk grabbed the blaster and triggered a flurry of shots in the remaining guard's general direction. As the guard took cover from the barrage, Vykk charged. After two seconds, the guard peered around his cover. When he saw Vykk running towards him with no weapon, he raised his blaster. His head flew back as a shot from behind Vykk stabbed into his left temple. His last vision was of Brianna holding the blaster steady in her left hand. Then he saw no more.

They found the chief tech holed up under his desk with his hands over his head.

"Don't kill me!" the tech cried desperately.

Given Brianna's weakened state, Vykk decided to take charge.

"We're not going to kill you. Once we find our ship, we need you to operate the vehicle lift so that we can escape. Alright?" Vykk asked gently.

"Al…alright," the tech said weakly.

"Locate the _Lightfinger_," Vykk ordered.

The tech pushed a few buttons and said, "Twenty meters up and to the right." He pointed it out.

Smiling, Vykk said, "She's a beautiful sight to behold, ain't she?"

Seeing the tech's uncertain expression, Vykk laughed.

"Okay, now position the lift and open whatever doors necessary for us to get out," Vykk commanded.

Dutifully, the tech set to work accompanied by various screeching noises as the doors and lifts arranged themselves. Finally, the noise died down.

"That's it," the tech said.

"Good job, kid. Now don't take this personal," Vykk said as he stunned the young technician. "There, that wasn't so hard." Then his eyes widened as he looked at Brianna's shoulder. "Are you alright?" Vykk asked, plainly stricken.

"I can make it to the ship, but I think you'll have to handle most of the piloting," Brianna replied with a weak smile.

"Okay, let's get out of here before something else bad happens," Vykk said cynically.

Vykk ran to the _Lightfinger_ and lowered the ramp. Sprinting into the ship, he began the preflight. Seconds later, Brianna stumbled onto the ship and promptly collapsed. Knowing that the start-up sequence could survive a minute without him, Vykk rushed to help her. He half-carried her to the ship's small sickbay and laid her on the sole bed. Dashing back to the cockpit, Vykk flung himself into the pilot's seat and quickly got the ship underway. He carefully guided the _Lightfinger_ through the maze of lifts and open blast doors. Finally coming up on the mag-con field, Vykk slammed on the accelerator and blasted out of the Star Destroyer. He got out of tractor beam range before the _Bereavement_'s crew could bring them to bear. Needles of turbolaser fire began to lance out as a squadron of TIE Interceptors launched in pursuit.

"Come on," Vykk shouted at the navicomputer, "give me a course, damnit!"

Seconds later, the navicomputer coughed up a safe jump. Vykk pulled back the hyperdrive levers and the _Lightfinger_ was gone before the TIEs could get in range.


	3. Life on the Rocks

Finding nobody waiting for them upon reversion, Vykk heaved a sigh of relief. Sitting next to him in the copilot's seat, Brianna rolled her eyes.

"Why are you always so relieved when you cheat death?" Brianna asked, "If the past few days are anything to go by, then bad things must happen to you all the time."

"Maybe I'm just grateful. Maybe I value life more than you do. Or maybe I haven't pulled a veil of cynicism over my eyes as you have. Or just maybe I react like everyone else when facing death!" Vykk opined.

"Geez, what got jammed in your exhaust port?" Brianna asked, taken aback.

"Maybe it's all the kriffing sarcasm you've been spouting non-stop since I met you!" Vykk shouted.

"Calm down, man. How long have you been a smuggler anyway?" she asked.

"Smuggler? About five years," he replied.

"Five years!" she exclaimed, "How have you survived that long while being so dangerously paranoid and easily irritated?"

"Dangerously paranoid comes with the territory," Vykk said, chuckling, "I really don't know, though. I guess I have to start at the beginning. Do you mind?" he asked.

"Not at all," she said, gesturing for him to continue.

"Well, first of all, I didn't grow up on the streets or anything like that. Not 'til I was fifteen, anyway. I was a typical kid, I guess. I had a home, parents, and a couple friends. You know, et cetera. Anyway, when I was fifteen, my dad basically threw me out on my ass. Dropped me on Nar Shaddaa of all places. He rode with me the whole way, telling me what a pile of Hutt droppings I was. I didn't believe him for a second. I knew that I was gonna make something of myself. Of course, that's debatable at this point."

"Very debatable," Brianna interjected.

Vykk stole a peculiar glance at Brianna before continuing. "As I was blahing, once I was out there alone, I got to thinking. Long story short, I got smart real fast, basically finding work wherever I could get it. Then I met Davar."

Seeing Vykk's obvious discomfiture, Brianna said soothingly, "You don't have to tell me about Davar. It's apparent that he hurt you somehow."

"He killed my father," Vykk said, stone-faced.

Brianna gasped. "By the Stars!" she exclaimed.

"There's more," Vykk said dispassionately.

"You really don't have to," Brianna reiterated.

"No. I've been carrying this around for a year now. Besides, he's dead and I'm not," Vykk affirmed.

"I see. Go on," she said.

"I met Davar the day he killed my father about a year ago. I wasn't too sore about it, as my father was a complete bantha brain. We got to talking and I found out that he was in the market for a copilot. He was having trouble running the _Fierfek Dyst_ smoothly. He was admittedly bad with names, so we rechristened his ship the _Lightfinger_. On our first run together, he betrayed me. It was a fairly routine delivery. We were chartered to deliver a replacement hyperdrive to a rather important contact of Talon Karrde. Apparently, he had gotten his engine blown to pieces in Imperial space, and had barely been able to limp to Muunilinst. We knew it was hot, but the pay would have set us for a month. Little did I know that Davar was working for Black Sun. Once I got wind of his activities, he felt that I had to be eliminated. Some mercenaries apprehended me in Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere and took me to Davar's base on Rodia. Before they could dispose of me, I was rescued by none other than Kyp Durron," Vykk said wistfully.

Brianna's eyes went wide.

"Who has a burgeoning interest in smugglers," Vykk continued, "Anyway, I figured I'd be safe enough at home on Nar Shaddaa. Unfortunately, Davar got there first. He blew the door in my face and punched me right in the stomach when I tried to get up. I thought I was dead until he just all of a sudden collapsed."

"What happened?" Brianna asked, enraptured.

"Boba Fett had shot him with a Kamino saber-dart. I asked him why he saved my life and he told me it was none of my business. Then he just walked away. A few weeks later, I cleared off Nar Shaddaa. I was scared like a little kid, so I retreated to familiar surroundings. I've always loved Corellia, but I had stayed away so long because of my father. Once there, I hung around cantinas, desperate for work. I made just barely enough to keep drinking myself silly every night. Plus I robbed a few people via pick pocketing and burglary to fill the gaps. Then you walked up to me and started this whole mess," Vykk finished

"Oh, really? Was that kiss part of 'this whole mess'?" Brianna chided.

Blushing, Vykk replied, "No, that was the one bright spot. That single moment outshined all the suffering leading up to it."

"What about this moment?" Brianna asked as she leaned over and kissed him.

Several seconds later, Brianna pulled away, waiting to gauge Vykk's reaction. He looked downright flabbergasted. She smiled at him seductively. Vykk stood up.

"I think we should continue this conversation in the comfort of the _Lightfinger_'s deluxe accommodations," Vykk said loudly.

"Lead on," Brianna said silkily.

And he did.

The next morning, Vykk woke up rejuvenated. Looking over, he smiled at Brianna, who was slumbering peacefully. Rolling out of bed, Vykk looked around for his pants. Finding them on the floor, he bent to pick them up. Then he felt a sudden impact on his backside. Looking up, he saw Brianna grinning at him.

"Were you going to wake me up? Or did you think you could hide from me on this little ship?" she asked playfully.

"No, I was just gonna get myself something to eat. Want anything?" he asked mildly.

"Sure, something good," she said, giving him a peck on the cheek.

Minutes later, he returned with a steaming platter of meat and pastries. This being their first good meal in days, they devoured everything on the plate. Satisfied, they got dressed and made their way to the cockpit.

Lounging in the pilot's seat, Vykk asked, "So where do we go now?"

"Back to Kessel, of course," Brianna replied.

"You can't be serious," Vykk said seriously, "Please tell me you're kidding."

"I'm dead serious," she asserted, "The cargo might still be waiting for us."

"Screw the cargo," Vykk said disdainfully, "I do not want to see the inside of another Imp prison."

"Neither do I," Brianna agreed, "which is why we're going to slip in quietly. Your generous stubble should hide your face adequately and I have a full range of cosmetics to disguise my appearance."

"That sounds good and all, but is it really worth it?" he asked.

"Yes, it is. You'll make a handsome profit, and I'll… Well, I'll mollify my superiors. At least I hope so," she said uncertainly.

"Who are your superiors, anyway? And what's this mysterious cargo? It sure as hell isn't spice," Vykk accused.

"Trust me, you don't want to know. I work for a powerful group that is keen on prompt delivery of certain goods. Also, they're not at all fond of curious individuals like you," Brianna cautioned.

"I guess with the money they're paying me, I can afford to shut up," Vykk conceded.

"That's the spirit," Brianna said lightly, "Now let's get to Kessel quick."

"Yes ma'am," Vykk said with a smirk.

Arriving once again on Kessel, Vykk performed a thorough sensor scan of the area. Finding no Imperial or New Republic patrols, he relaxed visibly.

"I have a good feeling about this," he said.

"You have a good feeling, or your credit pouch has a good feeling?" Brianna asked sardonically.

Vykk chuckled. "Definitely my credit pouch. I'm just as paranoid as I've ever been."

"Good to know some things never change," Brianna said, rolling her eyes.

"Wanna shut up and help me land?" Vykk snapped.

"Only if you don't try and kiss the floor at the bottom of the entrance ramp," Brianna replied mockingly.

Silence reigned as Vykk and Brianna completed the landing procedures. As the last strut touched down, Brianna launched herself out of the copilot's seat and almost sprinted to the exit ramp.

"Cabin fever?" Vykk asked.

"I'm a week late picking this stuff up. I don't think it would be wise to make my superiors wait much longer," Brianna replied.

"Point," Vykk conceded as he lowered the ramp.

"Let's go," Brianna said as she walked swiftly down the ramp.

Vykk sealed the ship and rushed after her. "Same routine as last time?"

"Yes," Brianna confirmed, "You shut up and let me do the talking."

Suspicious that anyone might be tailing them, they took a meandering route. The new meeting place didn't have a coded entry, so Brianna just palmed the door and they walked inside. Waiting for them were a dozen armed men of varying species. Half of them immediately trained blasters on them. Two others frisked them while the other four watched the entrance, the whole process carried out in a military precision unseen during the first rendezvous. Confiscating their weapons, the dozen formed a circle around them. Both Vykk and Brianna got blasters jammed into their backs.

They proceeded silently down a long hallway. Arriving at a locked door, eleven of the escorts clustered around Vykk and Brianna, preventing them from seeing the twelfth man key in the door code. The door opened with a faint his, and they all went inside. Sitting alone in the middle of the room was a large black box. Vykk couldn't restrain his curiosity.

"What's in there?" he asked.

A Rodian stepped over and jabbed Vykk in the stomach with the butt of his blaster. While Vykk was doubling over in pain, the Rodian took out a remote and activated a repulsor field under the box. Handing Brianna the remote, the twelve men filed out of the room in silence.

"That went well," Brianna said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, if you don't count that little poke," Vykk said petulantly.

"That was completely your fault," Brianna said haughtily, "I told you to keep your big mouth shut. Luckily, you didn't ruin it."

"Yeah, whatever," Vykk dismissed, "Let's just get this thing onto the _Lightfinger_ and burn jets."

"I couldn't agree more," Brianna said as she used the remote to set the box into motion.

Their trip back to the ship was uneventful. They carefully loaded the black box into the cargo bay. Satisfied that it was secured, Vykk and Brianna made their way up to the cockpit. After finishing the preflight, Vykk requested take-off clearance from the control tower. As soon as he got it, he lifted off and fled orbit like a scalded mynock.

"That is the last time I do business on Kessel," Vykk pledged, "There are plenty of smuggling outlets that don't have Kessel as a stop-off point. So, Brianna, where do we go from here?"

"Set course for Bothawui," she intoned calmly.

"Bothawui! What the mradhe muck is in that box?" Vykk cried in alarm.

"Like I said before, it's best that you don't know. Besides, after Bothawui, you can go on your merry way," Brianna said offhandedly.

Vykk stood up. "How can you expect me to just walk away after what we've shared? We definitely have something here. I don't want to throw it away just because my contract is over."

"Neither do I, but business is business," Brianna affirmed, "It's safer if you make a clean break."

"No, I won't just walk away. You're the first woman I've cared about this much. How can you deny our feelings for each other?" Vykk asked with a note of desperation.

Brianna rose to face him. "I don't want to see you die. You may be absurdly lucky in life-or-death situations, but if you stick with me, your luck will run out."

"I don't care," Vykk shot back, "A long life without you pales in comparison to experiencing even a moment of your company."

"Don't you think I feel the same way?" Brianna asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Then let's just be together," Vykk said, pulling Brianna into a hug. "We can take anything the galaxy throws at us."

Brianna continued to sob as Vykk held her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. It was a long time before they broke their embrace.


	4. Surprises

As the _Lightfinger_ came to rest in its assigned berth at the Drev'starn spaceport, Vykk scanned the ship's external holocams.

"No sign of hostiles," he observed.

"Of course there's nobody here," Brianna said derisively, "The rendezvous is on the other side of the planet."

"I see. So do we need to hire a speeder?" Vykk asked.

"Well, obviously," Brianna replied, rolling her eyes.

Minutes later, they left in a newly acquired XP-38 landspeeder.

"Did we have to get such an antique?" Seeing the look in her eyes, he added, "I know, I know, stop complaining. But damn, this thing went out of style before I was ten!"

"Shut up and drive," Brianna said exasperatedly.

They drove in silence for two hours. Nearing their destination, Brianna suddenly straightened in her seat.

"We almost there?" Vykk asked.

"Yes," Brianna said through clenched teeth.

"Do I get to go in?" he asked.

"Of course. You know too much, so it's in their best interests to have you around in case they feel they must liquidate you," she replied wryly.

"Just warms my heart," Vykk said dryly.

Abruptly, Brianna reached over and stopped the speeder.

"Get out," she ordered, "We're going the rest of the way on foot," she said.

"Should we worry about the speeder?" he asked.

"It's already taken care of," she replied.

As they were walking away, Vykk glanced behind him. A man walked up to their recently deserted speeder and got in. Starting it up, the man maneuvered it so that it was pointing back the way they had come. Hitting the accelerator, he sped off into the night. Turning back around, Vykk surveyed the road ahead. Trash littered the dank gray roadway. Filthy, boarded-up buildings lined either side of the street.

"Nice place," Vykk commented.

"Just keep your blaster handy," Brianna warned.

"Will do," he agreed.

They walked along for another few minutes until Vykk suddenly stopped.

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?" she asked, looking around.

Suddenly, a blaster bolt spanged off the wall next to them.

"That!" Vykk shouted as he dived for cover behind a metal box.

Brianna was already under the cover of an adjacent box and firing by the time she got a look at their assailants. With their grungy clothes and unkempt appearance, they looked like a group of homeless drifters. Yet the way they handled their blasters proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that these men were professionals. Within seconds, two of them succumbed to Brianna's surgical fire. Vykk's slightly less accurate barrage took out another one and pinned down three others. Brianna seized the opportunity, shooting each of them neatly through the head. The remaining assailants proved much more difficult. Enemy fire intensified as they moved in closer to Vykk and Brianna's position. Vykk killed another one with a neat bolt through the neck. He paid dearly for this victory, however. One of the men, seeing his fallen comrade, bellowed in rage as he shot Vykk's now exposed left leg. Vykk grunted in pain, but kept firing. He heard a tink-tink noise. Ducking, he looked around for the source and found it.

"Grenade!" he yelled as he pulled Brianna to safety on the other side of his cover box.

Hearing dead silence, Vykk cautiously peered around the corner of the box. He found that the remaining thugs had them surrounded and he was face to face with the hot muzzle of a blaster.

"Get up. Don't try anything or we'll fry your girlfriend here," the goon growled.

"Hey, she's the dangerous one, not me," Vykk said, holding up his hands.

"Oh, really?" the goon asked in a tone that showed he clearly didn't believe it.

As if on cue, Brianna exploded into action. She delivered devastating kicks and punches to sensitive areas on each of the men. Within seconds, they were lying on the ground, unconscious or groaning in pain.

"Wait, there's only four here. Where's the other guy?" Vykk asked, mystified.

A blue flash dazzled his vision for a second. Once the brightness cleared, Brianna was lying facedown, unconscious.

"Brianna!" he shouted in anguish.

"Don't worry, she's only stunned," the shooter said calmly.

Recognizing the voice, Vykk's mouth dropped open. Looking up, he saw the face of his nightmares.

"Tarven?" he shouted incredulously.

"The one and only. You know, I don't take kindly to people that waste my resources. You two killed seven very good men. When you're both strapped back in your interrogation chairs, I'll get revenge for all of them from both of you," Tarven said with an evil grin.

"You haven't caught me yet," Vykk retorted.

When Tarven opened his mouth to reply, Vykk grabbed the opportunity. Pulling his vibroblade from his boot quicker than the eye could follow, he stabbed Tarven in the stomach. Stepping back with his vibroblade, he watched as a dark red stain spread quickly over Tarven's shabby clothes. With one final gurgle, he fell to the ground. Vykk slung Brianna over his shoulder and limped away as fast as he could, ignoring the stabs of pain from his leg. Turning a corner, he ducked into a dark alley. Laying Brianna gently against a wall, he tried to resuscitate her.

"Come on, Bri, get up," he said as he lightly slapped her face.

Soon, his attempts became more desperate.

"Come on, damnit! Wake up!" he shouted, shaking her.

Coughing, she finally woke up.

"What happened?" she asked blearily.

"Tarven stunned you" he replied tersely.

"Tarven? Sithspawn!" she exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Don't worry, I got him," he said placatingly.

"Is he dead?" she asked desperately.

"I'm pretty sure," he answered.

"Don't give me 'pretty sure.' Is he dead?" she asked, emphasizing each syllable.

"We could go back and check, but I'd rather not," Vykk advised, "He might have brought back-up with him."

Brianna sighed. "You're right. So what do you mean when you say 'I got him'?"

"Stabbed him right in his festering belly," Vykk said proudly.

Brianna's face brightened. "Almost no chance of surviving that. Thank you, Vykk, thank you so much. You have no idea what that man did to me," she said, hugging him.

"Actually, I do," he corrected, "He played a recording of your first torture session to me. When I heard what he had done to you, I wanted to tear that bastard limb from limb."

"And why didn't you do that this time?" she asked.

"I had to get you to safety," he replied immediately.

"Speaking of which, we need to get out of this dark alley," she said, looking around, "I know this area very well. Light is your friend. Come on."

Vykk tried to get up, but his leg buckled under him.

"Shavit, I forgot about that," he said angrily.

"What?" Then she saw his leg and her face fell. "Oh, Vykk, what happened?"

"Took a hit during the firefight," he replied with a grimace.

"Let's get you to a medical droid," she said anxiously.

"I thought the delivery was paramount," he argued.

"It can wait a few minutes" she dismissed, "There's a medical station a few blocks from here."

With Brianna's assistance, Vykk was able to hobble into the medical center. After a brief look at the wound, the 2-1B slapped a bacta patch on it and dosed Vykk with painkillers. A half hour later, Vykk could barely feel his injury. The droid gave him a bottle of pills with instructions to take them every six hours for a week. Once out of the med-center, Brianna got her bearings and set off with Vykk plodding resolutely in her wake. As they walked, the scenery became progressively cleaner and brighter. Minutes later, they were on an extremely well lit and sanitary roadway.

"Is that it?" Vykk asked, pointing to a huge skyscraper.

"Yes. I suppose it's a bit obvious, but when you have the kind of resources we do, you can flaunt your wealth a little," she said, shrugging.

"Who exactly is we?" he asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," she replied.

Minutes later, Vykk's first close look at the front door stopped him cold.

"You work for Bothicorp?" he asked, incredulous.

"You seem surprised," Brianna replied with a smirk.

"Not so much surprised as utterly astounded. I thought you were with Black Sun or something. Barring that, I still didn't think you were doing anything even remotely legal. This is just…wow…I can't believe it. I need to sit down a minute and take this in," he said, plainly astounded.

"No time for that" she said quickly, "My boss is waiting, and has been for some time."

Grabbing Vykk by the arm, Brianna dragged him through the doorway as he kept sputtering about his discovery. Eventually, Vykk subsided and walked with her under his own power. They entered a turbolift and began ascending to their destination. As he stood there, visions of a stable future with Brianna threatened to overwhelm him once more. Not only has he found someone he cares about, but he's found someone that is almost completely aboveboard. If he ended up staying with her, he wouldn't have to dodge New Republic and Imperial patrols. He wouldn't have to jump a meter in the air every time he heard a loud noise. He could let go of his paranoia and be…happy. Thinking these thoughts, he had a beatific smile on his face.

"Why are you so happy all of a sudden?" Brianna asked, studying Vykk's face.

Vykk's train of thought ground to a halt. He desperately searched for a lie to tell her, but couldn't find one.

"You," he replied, staring down at his feet.

"Oh, I see. I'm your fantasy woman now, aren't I? As I'm prancing around naked in your mind, try to remember that I have a mind, too," she said disdainfully.

Vykk felt as if he'd been slapped. He raised his head fractionally. "No, I wasn't thinking of you like that. I was…"

"You were what?" Brianna demanded.

Vykk struggled with himself. His fear of giving too much information warred with his desire to be honest with her. Finally choosing a side, he looked into Brianna's eyes.

"I was thinking of how much I love and care about you. I was thinking about the future we could have together. I could put my past behind me and start a new life with you, a happy life. No more desperate escapes or close calls. Almost no illegal activity of any kind," he said wistfully.

"You…love me?" she asked, plainly stunned.

"With all my heart," he affirmed.

"I…have to think about this," she said uncertainly.

"What is there to think about?" he asked, "I can tell you care for me and you know I love you."

"I can't deal with this right now. Just keep your mouth shut and don't look at me!" she snapped.

Vykk's eyes found the floor as the turbolift doors opened. He followed her meekly down the hall until they came upon their desired door. Taking a deep breath, Brianna keyed it open. Waiting within was a single Bothan. He looked up at the newcomers as they came in, a smile springing to his face.

"Ah, Ms. Tharsen. I'm glad that you could finally join us. Please introduce me to your companion," the Bothan said cordially.

"Director Thri'ki, this is Vykk Draygo, the pilot I hired," she said, indicating Vykk.

"Pleased to meet you Mr. Draygo," he said, extending his hand.

Limp-wristed, Vykk shook Thri'ki's hand.

"If you both would have a seat, we can get started," Thri'ki said, gesturing towards two empty chairs.

Thri'ki sat behind his desk with Brianna opposite him while Vykk sat in the corner with his head down.

"Before you make your full report, Ms. Tharsen, I'd like you to summarize why it took you so long to get here with such routine cargo," Thri'ki said, folding his hands on the desk.

"Routine?" Vykk interjected. "How could what's in that box possibly be routine? After all we went through to get it to you, you're telling me that it wasn't important?"

Brianna stared daggers at him. Thri'ki sighed.

"Do you want to leave this office, Mr. Draygo?" Thri'ki asked.

"Not particularly," Vykk replied.

"Then I suggest you practice proper decorum while in my office. Now, before I was so rudely interrupted…" Thri'ki said, trailing off.

Brianna took the cue. "Well, first of all, we ran afoul of a skirmish at Kessel. In the interest of getting there as fast as possible, we shuffled IFF transponders to suit our course. Muddling through with no more than minor dents, we proceeded to the planet. Upon landing, we were unaware that we were under surveillance. A small Imperial commando team detained us for questioning. For some reason, they were interested in our activities. Contented that we were involved in no wrongdoing, they released us."

Vykk opened his mouth as if to say something, but was silenced by Brianna's fierce glare. Satisfied, she continued, "Obviously, we had lost a great deal of time to their questioning. We returned to Kessel and retrieved the cargo, then took off for Bothawui with all necessary speed. I am truly sorry for the delay. I would understand if you saw it fit to dismiss me."

"I will make that decision after I examine your full report," Thri'ki said sternly, "I suggest you begin as soon as you leave this room."

It was obviously an indication that they should leave. Standing up, Vykk and Brianna left the office as the door closed behind them. Vykk followed Brianna until she stopped at a door bearing her name. Keying it open, she led Vykk inside. Once the door closed, she whirled on him.

"Were you trying to get me fired? Because if you were, I'm not sure I know you at all!" she shouted.

"I was trying to get _you_ fired? I'm not the one that sat there and lied," Vykk fired back.

"I had to lie to preserve my position," she retorted, "I worked too hard to get where I am to lose it over something as trivial as this."

Vykk was livid. "Trivial? What in the last two weeks has been trivial?"

"Nothing, but this would be an awful way for me to go," she replied.

"Well I'm glad you have your priorities straight. Being alive is nothing compared to money. Finding love in the midst of it all pales in comparison to prestige," Vykk said derisively.

"Shut up! I am not discounting the fact that we have survived a terrible ordeal and come out of it with something good besides a job well done. I'm just ensuring that I have a future," Brianna retorted.

"So it's all about you, is it? What about me? Don't you give a vrelt's ass about me at all?" he asked accusingly.

Vykk's question hit Brianna like a punch in the solar plexus. What were her feelings regarding Vykk? Did she love him as he loved her? She hadn't thought about it. She was putting her own livelihood ahead of all else. Was that the way she wanted to live her life? No. Her culture was _not_ the most important thing in her life. Her well-being trumped everything else. She had to admit that being with Vykk made her happy. His openness and warmth drew her to him. She had never met such an inviting person. She felt this was too much for one mind to assimilate at once. Overwhelmed, she burst into tears.

"How can you ask me that after all we've shared? Of course I care about you, but I can't say I love you until I have more time to think," she said through her hands.

Vykk's anger vanished the moment the first tear ran down her cheek. He immediately berated himself for hurting the woman he loved. What right did he have to probe her like this? Striding forward, he hugged her fiercely. "I'm sorry, Bri. I didn't mean to hurt you like that. I'm just so afraid of losing you."

But Brianna couldn't stop bawling. Putting her head on Vykk's shoulder, she let out every bad thing from the past two weeks. Tarven's torture sessions flowed out of her onto Vykk's reassuring shoulder. Soon Vykk's eyes welled up with tears and he began to pour out his own emotions. Locked in their desperate embrace, a feeling of certainty surfaced in Brianna. Raising her head, she locked gazes with Vykk.

"I love you, too!" Brianna proclaimed.

When their lips met, fireworks went off in each of them. As their arms snaked around each other, they became one organism. They now knew, absolutely, that they wanted to be together forever, no matter what.


	5. Loyalty

"He's honest and a hard worker. He can fly circles around anyone else's pilots. He'd be a great asset," Brianna offered.

"That's all well and good, but he has a criminal record and no credible experience," Thri'ki argued.

"You let me hire him for my last job," she pointed out.

"That was a completely different situation. You were stranded on Corellia with no other way to make the delivery. Desperate times called for desperate measures. If not for your exemplary record, I would have dismissed you immediately. We frown on specialized couriers that waste resources," he said sternly.

"Pirates shot me down. What was I supposed to do?" she asked, raising her voice slightly.

"Standard procedure calls for you to surrender your cargo, thereby retaining our highly expensive spacecraft," he reprimanded.

"I thought I could get away," she said sullenly.

"Let it be a lesson to you," he said firmly, "The next time you endanger a sufficient amount of resources or personnel, you will be summarily liquidated."

"Yes, sir, but we're straying from the point. I think you should hire Vykk," she proposed.

"So he's Vykk to you, is he? Don't let your personal feelings get in the way," he warned.

Brianna's fists clenched in her lap, but she kept her face blank. "With all due respect, he got the job done. He risked himself and his ship not once, but twice. You shouldn't ignore such dedication."

"Be that as it may, he is not the sort of person we want working for us," he asserted.

"Very well. Thank you for your continued trust in me and my abilities," she said crisply, standing up.

"I figured they wouldn't take me. Nobody wants to hire a criminal," Vykk said disdainfully.

"You'd be surprised," Brianna said with a wink.

"What's that supposed to mean? You got a criminal record? What did you do?" he asked, astonished.

"I've done everything in accordance with the wishes of my government," she replied flatly.

"And which government would that be? Bothan?" he asked, curious.

"Heavens, no. Anyone closely associated with the Bothan government is a being with little or no honor. I serve a government imbued with nobility and principle," she said regally.

"I've heard that before," he scoffed.

"This time it's true," she said with an edge in her voice.

Seeing that the look in her eyes matched her tone, Vykk dropped the subject.

"What in the Emperor's Black Heart am I going to do now? I can't go back to smuggling now that I've met you, but I also can't just sit here and wait for life to pass me by," Vykk said, plainly conflicted.

"They said they wouldn't hire you," Brianna said regretfully, "They didn't say you couldn't continue to accompany me. The only difference now is that you won't get paid, but at least you'll be doing something."

"If I don't get paid, how do I fix my ship?" he asked.

"I'll pay for repairs and modifications, all of which are still up to you," she answered.

"That is a sweet deal. What's the catch?" he asked.

"The catch is that if I fail again, I'll be 'summarily liquidated.' If you're somehow involved, they'll try to bring the hammer down on you, too," she replied.

"That's not so bad. So when's your next job?" he asked.

"I leave in three days. With your permission, I'd like to use the _Lightfinger_ and its pilot," she said, smirking.

"Permission granted," he said with a broad grin.

"Where are we going today?" Vykk asked, sitting in the pilot's seat of the _Lightfinger_ in orbit around Bothawui.

"Tatooine," Brianna replied simply.

Vykk just stared at her with his jaw hanging open. Brianna opened her mouth to reply, but all that escaped was a snort. Her shoulders shook in silent laughter as her face contorted in mirth. Seconds later, she recovered herself enough to speak.

"Sorry, but that look on your face was priceless," she said, wiping away a tear, "We're going to Tatooine to pick up some rather ingenious prototype raider's tools."

"Why would they send you after your recent delayed delivery?" he asked.

"Because I'm still the best one for the job. Few of us have the skills necessary to survive on Tatooine, much less do anything there," she said calmly.

"Where did you get those skills?" he asked, "They certainly didn't come from high-powered business meetings"

"You'd be surprised how much you can learn in something as simple and innocent as a business meeting, but I think what you mean is my proficiency in armed and unarmed combat. Do you really think that Bothicorp is my first employer? Or even my real employer?" she taunted.

"I kinda did for a second there. But you're so young and…beautiful, I can't imagine you being a desk jockey," he said with a roguish grin.

"Well, you're right, but I can't tell you exactly what I am. If tortured, you might let it slip," she stated.

He looked at her sharply. "Minions of Xendor! Did you have to bring that up? Son of a Bith!" he exclaimed.

"Oh kark, I'm sorry. Just remember that it was you that escaped, not me," she comforted.

Vykk smiled. "I am mollified," he said warmly, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" she asked.

"Say exactly what I need to hear," Vykk said, smiling affectionately at Brianna.

"The same way you do exactly what needs to be done," she said with a glint in her eye. She stretched seductively and yawned. "I think I'll turn in for the night," she said, getting up and walking away.

Vykk took a few minutes to lay in their course and activate the hyperdrive. Then he too left the cockpit, knowing exactly where Brianna went.

They emerged from hyperspace on schedule at Tatooine. Midway through his routine scan of the system, Vykk saw something that gave him pause.

"Hey Brianna, look at this and tell me if I'm seeing what I think I'm seeing," Vykk requested.

"If you think you're seeing four TIEs on an intercept vector, then you're absolutely right," Brianna said, throwing herself into the copilot's seat.

"Blaster bolts! Why does this always happen to me? Can we outrun em?" he asked.

"Negative" she replied, "They could carve us up into nerf steaks before we even got out of Tatooine's mass shadow."

"Then I guess we have to make a fight of it" he said resignedly, "Head up to the dorsal turret. I'll try and keep them in your field of fire."

Brianna secured herself in the gunner's chair just as the TIEs came into range. The _Lightfinger_ shook with multiple laser hits.

"How about you try avoiding their fire?" Brianna suggested.

"How about you shut your trap and blast them into atoms?" Vykk barked.

Vykk took the ship through a maze of evasive maneuvers as the TIEs tried vainly to get through its shields. One TIE succumbed to Brianna's steady fire while another fell to the forward lasers. The other two promptly turned tail and burned space behind them.

"That's right you little bizits, run!" cried Vykk victoriously.

"You're not going to chase them?" Brianna asked, perplexed.

"Why should I? Those things don't have hyperdrive, which means they have a base ship not too far from here. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like being trapped by a tractor beam today," he replied.

"Fair enough, but they will catch up to us on the ground. We have to deal with them sooner or later," she admonished.

"Or we could just get out of here" he offered, "Tatooine is not the place I imagined would be my final resting place."

"And it won't be. We can ask for help this time. You didn't think those guards on Kessel were there to guard the cargo, did you?" she asked.

"Actually, I did," he answered.

"They were mostly there to protect the cargo en route," she clarified.

"You mean they were following us? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"You didn't need to know," she replied simply.

"Oh, great, I'm back to need to know, am I?" he asked accusingly.

Brianna glared daggers at him as she activated the communications array.

"Shadow, this is Caster. Come in," she said into the comm.

"We read you Caster. Is something wrong?" asked Shadow.

"Yes, we were just attacked by four TIE fighters. We destroyed two of them, but the others managed to escape. Find their base ship and destroy it. If it's a Victory Star Destroyer or larger, just hold position on a vector between it and the planet. Intercept any shuttle launched from it," Brianna ordered.

"Already done," Shadow said, "It's an Impstar Deuce by the name of _Bereavement_."

Vykk and Brianna's mouths dropped open and their eyes widened in fear.

"Caster? You still there?" Shadow asked, his voice tinged with alarm.

"Yes, I'm still here. Hold position between the _Bereavement_ and the planet and intercept anything launched from it," she commanded.

"Roger that, Caster," Shadow acknowledged, "Shadow out."

As the comm clicked off, Vykk quickly rose from the pilot's seat and began pacing. "The _Bereavement_? Sithspawn! I am getting the hell out of here, right now!"

He started punching up an outbound course, but Brianna grabbed his arms.

"No, we need to make this delivery," Brianna said calmly.

"Why? What is down there that's more important than your life?" Vykk demanded.

"My honor. I said I would deliver it, and I will deliver it," she said tersely.

"No! I will not let you get hurt!" he shouted.

"Let me get hurt? You aren't my keeper," she retorted.

"No, I'm not, but I refuse to risk my neck or my ship for a mere corporation. Corporate types, especially Bothans, have no honor to speak of," he stated.

"You still think you're doing this for the Bothans?" she asked curiously.

"Who _am_ I working for?" Vykk asked heatedly.

"It doesn't matter. Just…do it for me. Please?" she asked anxiously.

A painful look emerged in Vykk's eyes. He grabbed his head and screamed aloud. "I can't take this anymore! Land the ship and do what you want. I need to go think for awhile."

"Vykk, no. I need you," she said desperately.

Vykk snapped his head around and glared at her threateningly. "Not right now, you don't! I'm barely holding it together as it is. Don't force me to do something I'll regret."

He stormed off to his cabin. Tearfully, Brianna brought the _Lightfinger_ in for a landing at the Mos Eisley spaceport. All the while, she heard a faint thumping noise coming from Vykk's cabin along with muffled shouts. Being able to stand it no longer, she rushed to his cabin. Opening the door, she found him curled up in a corner, crying. Seeing her enter the room, he surged to his feet.

"Get out!" he shouted hoarsely, advancing toward her.

He grabbed her shoulders to shove her out of the room. Deftly removing his hands, she tossed him onto his bed. Leaping atop him, she pinned his arms and legs.

"I'm not leaving this room until you agree to come with me," she said stubbornly, "I need you at my side. Without you, my mission is impossible."

"Of course I'll go with you. That's not the problem," he croaked.

"Then what is the problem?" she asked, perplexed.

"I care more about your welfare than my own. I will follow you anywhere; protect you in every way possible. I love you more than anything. I just need time for it to sink in. I'm edging closer and closer to the edge of insanity. I just need some kind of release," Vykk said with a quaver in his voice.

Brianna's expression turned from one of anguish to a roguish grin. "I know something that will make all your problems go away," she said as she leaned down to kiss him.

Vykk woke up the next morning with his arms still wrapped around Brianna. Carefully extricating himself, he slid out of bed and got dressed. Hearing a muffled noise, he turned around to see that Brianna was awake and smiling.

"Brain all clear now?" Brianna teased.

"Yes, lead me anywhere. I'd follow you into the mouth of a Sarlacc," Vykk rejoined.

"I would hope that you'd pull me out instead," she said, winking.

"Either way," he said, shrugging.

"Just open the ship, laserbrain," she said dryly.

"Yes ma'am," he said briskly.

Vykk followed Brianna out into the oppressive heat of Mos Eisley. Sand blew at them relentlessly. They staggered to the dark outline of a building and ducked into the doorway. Looking out, all they could see was an impenetrable wall of sand.

"Great, a sandstorm," Vykk complained.

"That's alright. We'll just duck in here," Brianna said, indicating a doorway.

"Where's here?" he asked.

"Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina," she said, reading the sign above the door.

"Holy Sith! This place is a kriffing monument!" he said excitedly, "Do you have any idea how much history has happened in this place?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Now can we go inside?" she asked impatiently.

"Sand in your britches?" he teased.

"Yes, and more entering every second we're out here," she said through clenched teeth.

She shoved a laughing Vykk inside. His smile disappeared as he crossed the threshold. Both systematically scanned the tables, checking to make sure the coast was clear. Satisfied, they picked a table in the farthest corner and sat down.

"I'll get us drinks," Vykk offered, "What do you want?"

"Nothing for now," she replied.

"Suit yourself," Vykk said, heading for the bar. Returning with a foaming Gizer ale, Vykk sat down and began sipping his drink. "You know, this is the first drink I've had since you first hired me."

"I guess defying death is a more powerful intoxicant," Brianna said, quirking an eyebrow.

"And you're the most powerful intoxicant of all," Vykk said, grinning devilishly.

"Flatterer," Brianna said, giggling.

Four drinks later, the storm still raged outside.

"I think you've had enough. In fact, I think you've had too much," Brianna said, looking worriedly at Vykk.

"Whaddaya mean?" Vykk slurred.

"Listen to yourself. You're piss drunk. I'll go get you some stim tea," she said and started to get up.

"No, I'm fine. Don' go." he said, throwing his arms around her. "You're pretty. Let's go to your place. I'm in no fit condition to fly," he added, hiccupping.

He opened his mouth to say more, but collapsed on Brianna's lap, asleep. Rolling her eyes, Brianna stood up, setting his head gingerly on her chair. Procuring some stim tea from the bartender, she came back to find Vykk lying facedown on the floor, with a couple patrons openly laughing at him.

"Mind your own business," she said, glaring at them.

One turned away immediately, but the other just grinned.

"Come on little lady. What are you gonna do? How about you come to my place and punish me all you want," he said in a manner he obviously thought was charming.

Brianna had had enough. She pulled her blaster out of her holster and pointed it at his face. He and half the cantina hit the deck. Brianna lowered her blaster and stood there smiling.

Bending down, she said sweetly, "Next time I pull the trigger, 'kay?"

He nodded silently as Brianna slowly stood up. She kept her blaster in her hand as she grabbed Vykk and unceremoniously draped him over her shoulder. On her way out, she pistol-whipped the now cowering drunk in his left temple. He collapsed in a heap at her feet. Stepping over him, she left the cantina and headed to the nearest alley. Gingerly, she laid Vykk against the wall.

"Come on, wake up," she said, slapping him.

"Huh? Wha happened?" Vykk said blearily.

"You drank yourself to sleep in my lap," she said wryly.

"Sounds like fun. What went wrong?" he asked.

"Some lowlife thought he could take advantage of your incapacitation," she said sardonically.

"My head hurts," he said, wincing, "Got anything on you for headaches?"

Brianna rolled her eyes and handed him something for his headache. Before he could resist, she pulled out a hypo and stuck it into his neck. Several minutes later, he shook his head violently.

"Phew, I don't know what that was, but it works fast. I'm ready to run five klicks in any direction," he said animatedly.

"Good, because we're behind schedule. Fortunately, we only need to walk half a klick from here. Let's go," she urged.

They reached their destination without incident. Vykk looked up and down, scrutinizing it. "Nice place. Any elaborate procedures this time?" he asked, looking at Brianna.

"Just go in, nerfherder," she answered wearily.

They entered the building warily, alert for any sign of danger. They walked to the end of a long hallway and turned left. Waiting for them was a single Twi'lek male holding a briefcase. He simply handed it to them, about-faced, and left. Feeling strangely uncomfortable, but glad the pickup had gone off without a hitch, Vykk and Brianna turned around and went back the way they came. Emerging once again into the broiling Tatooine heat, they set off towards the spaceport. They hadn't gone two steps when eight men stepped out into the street with drawn blasters pointing at them.

"Halt," one said, holding up his hand.

Not even bothering to respond, Vykk and Brianna drew their blasters and burned down one man each before diving for cover. Vykk began to ease his way around the corner when Brianna suddenly signaled for him to remain under cover. Vykk looked at her questioningly, but backed off. Seconds later, they heard precision fire from snipers perched on the roofs. Then there was silence. Peeking around the corner once more, Vykk saw all eight assailants and one of the snipers lying dead on the ground.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about those guys. They're handy, though I think we could've taken eight stormtroopers by ourselves," Vykk said, getting up.

"It would have been risky, but I agree. The only reason I waved you back was that they gave me a signal. Had you opened fire, they would have pegged you," she said considerately.

"Thanks. Are we even or do I owe you one now?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter as long as we're both safe. Now let's get back to the ship and off this miserable dust ball," Brianna said, smiling.


	6. Revelations

Lounging in Brianna's office, Vykk awaited her return from a meeting with Thri'ki. He mulled over the last few days, wondering why Brianna seemed to be cooling off towards him lately. He resolved to ask her as soon as possible. A tone sounded, announcing Brianna's arrival. She strode in with her shoulders slightly hunched.

"Somethin' wrong, Bri? Is it something about the next delivery?" Vykk asked worriedly.

"There won't be a 'next delivery.' I've been taken off this mission," she answered wearily.

"Why?" he asked.

"Thri'ki claims my actions resulted in the death of a fellow operative, referring to the dead sniper. That, coupled with my effort to get you hired on, was the last straw," she said grumpily.

"Oh, damn, that's horrible," he said sympathetically.

"Not really. I need to get back to…home and get my next mission. Once we arrive, you'll have your answers. Also, I'll be piloting. I have the coordinates in a separate module and I'll be voiding it from the navicomputer once we get there," she stated.

Cruising along in hyperspace, Vykk sulked in the copilot's seat. "It's my ship; I should be piloting."

Brianna sighed. "I've told you a dozen times that I can't trust anyone with my world's name or location. All I ask is that you trust me."

"That's all I'm asking," Vykk pleaded.

"No. You're asking for the trust of my people. That, I cannot grant," she said solemnly.

"Fine," he said, "but –"

Suddenly, they decanted from hyperspace. On sensors, they could see the _Bereavement_ bearing down on them and an Interdictor cruiser hanging off to one side. With a yelp, Vykk leapt out of the copilot's seat.

"Get up! I fly better than you," he barked.

"Just one second," she said as she erased their destination from the navicomputer.

Vykk's teeth were grinding together by the time she relinquished the pilot's seat. As he plunked down into the pilot's seat, Brianna made a mad dash for the dorsal turret. She had no sooner strapped in than Vykk took the _Lightfinger_ through a stomach-churning dive. Realizing they hadn't yet launched fighters, Vykk's face broke into a broad grin. Roughly firing the braking thrusters, he executed a flawless smuggler's reverse. Now heading directly for the _Bereavement_, Vykk accelerated.

Seeing his startling change in tactics, Lieutenant Ira Vax turned to Captain Rosta Blon.

"Captain, the smuggler is coming directly toward us, but too fast for us to properly engage our tractor beam," Vax said, a distinct note of panic in his voice.

Blon creased his brow in thought. Seconds later, he said, "Order the _Apprehender_ to reposition itself to cover the freighter's outbound vector and launch a squadron of TIE Interceptors. Tell them to shoot to disable, not destroy. I want that freighter and its passengers intact."

"Yes, sir," Vax said crisply as he carried out the captain's orders.

"Oh shavit, they're launching fighters. I got maybe thirty seconds," Vykk said anxiously.

His hands flew over the board as he flipped the _Lightfinger_ over and brought it to a hard stop under the _Bereavement_'s bridge. Easing toward it, he deployed the landing claw. Seconds later, the _Lightfinger_ was secured. Vykk shut down all power except life support and waited. Brianna entered the cockpit shortly thereafter.

"You've got some nerve; I like it," she said with an impish grin.

"You know us rogues; we like to show off," he said, winking.

"I've never seen that trick done quite so well," she said approvingly.

"It's not over yet. I have to wait for that Interdictor to power down its grav generators before I can detach. If I pop off now, I'll reappear on their scopes. A YT-1300 can blend in with space junk; this ship can't," he said expertly.

A full hour later, the Interdictor powered down its grav generators in preparation for its own leap to hyperspace. Vykk, staring intently at the board, reacted like a cracked whip. In a matter of seconds, he released the landing claw and burned space behind the _Bereavement_. As the navicomputer coughed up a safe route, the Interdictor tried vainly to reactivate its grav generators while the _Bereavement_ took potshots at the _Lightfinger_ with its rear turbolasers. Outdistancing both the Interdictor's hazy gravity cone and the _Bereavement_'s hurried barrage, Vykk casually pulled back the hyperdrive levers and escaped into hyperspace.

The _Lightfinger_ popped out of hyperspace at a system Vykk didn't recognize. He glanced down at the navicomputer and his mouth dropped open in shock.

"Where are we? This system isn't showing up on the charts," Vykk said, incredulous.

"Check my nav module," Brianna, suggested.

Vykk looked and his mouth fell further open, threatening to separate his jaw. He looked disbelievingly at the listing, then at Brianna. Then his shock vanished and his expression became deadly serious.

"You're a Mistryl," he grated out.

"Correct," she confirmed.

"That explains a lot. I just assumed you had military training. That would have included withstanding interrogation, though," he said thoughtfully.

"I was trained to withstand traditional forms of interrogation such as drugs and verbal coercion. But I never quite learned how to take a beating as ferocious and undisciplined as Tarven's," she said, blushing.

"At least you beat the droid. That thing turned me into a quivering lump of protoplasm," Vykk joked.

They shared a brief laugh, and then refocused on the task at hand.

"I guess you'll do all the landing and what-not. Now are you absolutely sure that it's okay for me to be here?" Vykk asked carefully.

"First tell me how you knew about Emberlene," she insisted.

Suddenly, Vykk couldn't meet Brianna's eyes. He locked his gaze on the navicomputer and lapsed into silence.

"Damnit, Vykk, tell me!" Brianna demanded.

"Alright, but you're not gonna like it," he said, still not meeting her eyes.

"I'll decide that for myself," she said firmly.

Vykk sighed. "My father aided in the decimation of your world," he said sullenly.

Brianna's back straightened and her expression hardened. "You're right. I don't like it," she said through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry, I really am. At least he's dead." Vykk said haltingly.

Seeing Vykk's fearful expression, Brianna silently berated herself. "I don't blame you," she said comfortingly, "You told me how your father practically disowned you. You obviously weren't in line with his kind of thinking."

"Damn straight! He'd kill, lie, cheat and debase himself for credits; a completely amoral mercenary," Vykk said with extreme loathing.

"As long as you know what he is and reject it, that's enough for me," Brianna said reassuringly.

"But is that enough for them?" he asked.

"Well first of all they don't need to know. And second of all we can assure them that you could never find your way back," she said reassuringly.

"Lying to your superiors? Talk about biting the hand that feeds you," he said, stunned.

"Actually, I feed myself. They just arrange assignments. Our world is too poor to feed anyone," Brianna said gloomily.

Vykk's face fell. "Don't be sad. Every mission you complete brings you that much closer to a new life for your world," he said supportively, hugging her.

"Thank you," she said with a watery smile.

They held each other for a few moments before disengaging.

Landed safely in their berth at the Emberlene space station, Vykk and Brianna set off towards the main complex. Everyone they passed looked pointedly at Vykk. Men were never common on Emberlene. Vykk himself was eyeing some of the passers-by, estimating that each one could take him down in a matter of seconds. Minutes later, they arrived at the only pristine structure in the station. The towering edifice was a marvel of engineering. Its graceful lines blended perfectly into the squalor around it while being beautiful at the same time. It was truly a remarkable sight.

"I guess they figured they should have one building that doesn't scream refugee camp," Vykk said jokingly.

"Shut up," Brianna said, rolling her eyes.

They stopped at the voluminous doors and waited. Seconds later, they swung ponderously open. The scene that awaited them proved no less spectacular than the outer walls. The inner walls gleamed and sparkled, offering a feast for the eyes. Marvelous designs wove a tapestry of grandeur. Eleven ornate thrones dominated the room. Currently, only eight were occupied. Upon seeing eight of the Eleven Elders of the People, Brianna dropped immediately to her knees, grabbing Vykk on the way down. Aside from a brief yelp, Vykk offered no resistance as he imitated Brianna's posture. They waited several minutes before an Elder deigned to speak to them.

"Welcome back, Brianna. The weapons you delivered to our Bothawui cache is yet another step on Emberlene's path to self-sufficiency and is greatly appreciated. Now, who is this?" the Elder asked, indicating Vykk.

Keeping her head bowed, Brianna replied, "His name is Vykk Draygo. He's an excellent pilot and helped me during my latest mission. He was directly responsible for saving my life twice."

"Thank you, Mr. Draygo. Please wait outside while we debrief Brianna. These guards will accompany you," the Elder said, waving her hand dismissively.

Two tall, muscled women appeared on either side of Vykk. He stood up and they led him outside. Once the doors closed, the debriefing began.

"Ms. Tharsen, it's obvious that you have feelings for this man. That could prove to be extremely dangerous in your line of work," the Elder said reprovingly.

"He…completes me," Brianna said hesitantly.

"No, the people of Emberlene complete you," the Elder corrected, "You are a Mistryl. That means you are a servant of the people. However, since you were able to complete your mission with minimal losses, we will allow him to travel with you."

"Actually, I travel with him. We arrived in his ship, the _Lightfinger_," Brianna reported.

"What happened to the ship we provided you?" the Elder asked.

"Destroyed by pirates," Brianna replied.

"We are not a rich world; ships are expensive. Was it destroyed before, or after you met Mr. Draygo?" the Elder asked.

"Before," Brianna responded.

"Very well, then. It will go on your record. Further failure of any kind will brand you an outcast, unfit to bear the title of Mistryl. So did you use Mr. Draygo's ship for the remainder of your deliveries?" the Elder asked.

"Yes," Brianna answered.

"Will he continue to allow you to use his ship?" the Elder asked.

"Yes," Brianna answered.

"If he ever decides to deny the use of his ship to you, you are required to find another ship yourself. We will not supply you with another one. Is that clear?" the Elder asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"Very well. We will notify you when we have another mission for you," the Elder said dismissively.

With that implicit dismissal, Brianna calmly got up and exited the building. A somewhat irritated Vykk stood waiting with his guards. Seeing Brianna, the guards left Vykk's side and went back into the complex.

"So where to?" Vykk asked.

"Back to your ship; it has better living quarters than anything here," Brianna replied, exasperated.

Back in the privacy of the _Lightfinger_, Vykk and Brianna were relaxing in the lounge.

"I'm guessing most of your debriefing was about me," Vykk said flatly.

"How perceptive of you," Brianna said, rolling her eyes.

"So what did they ask?" he inquired.

"They asked about the nature of our relationship and the nature of my using your ship," she replied.

"Ah. What did you tell them?" he asked.

"That you complete me and that you will continue to allow me to use your ship for my work," she replied.

"As long as the _Lightfinger_ is kept in good shape. I love you more than this ship, but I love this ship more than your missions, okay?" he asked.

"I understand," she replied.

"So what's the plan?" he asked.

"I wait for the Eleven to assign me a mission," she answered.

"That's it?" Vykk asked skeptically.

"That's it," Brianna confirmed.

"Okay, then. I guess I'll turn in," he said, stretching.

For a while, Brianna sat there thinking. Then, with a mental shrug, she rose and went to join Vykk.


	7. Conflict and Recovery

As they surveyed their surroundings, Vykk kept a tense hand near his blaster. Brianna betrayed no outward sign of anxiety as they slowly made their way through the cantina. Knowing the chances were slim that her contact would be here, Brianna was nevertheless on high alert. The atmosphere didn't bother her as much as Vykk's subtle but constant fidgeting. Deciding that she had had enough, she edged Vykk into a secluded corner, speaking in whispers.

"Keep your hand away from your blaster. You're drawing too much attention," she warned, looking around suspiciously.

"Look around. Just about everyone here has their hand on a weapon," Vykk retorted.

"Granted, but their hands are still. I don't mind if you keep your hand on your blaster; just stop fidgeting," she said, irritated.

Vykk acknowledged her with a nod and they resumed their reconnaissance of the cantina. Suddenly, Vykk jarred to a halt and pulled his blaster. A split second later, Brianna caught sight of his target and her eyes widened. The man was staring back at them with a malevolent smile on his face. Unbeknownst to Vykk and Brianna, six men had slowly surrounded them, pulling their own blasters in tandem with Vykk. Vykk's expression was full of hate while Brianna's was somewhere between surprise and fear. Vykk shifted his aim as Tarven stood up.

"Welcome Mr. Draygo, Miss Brianna. The man I believe you were supposed to meet here came down with a case of involuntary unconsciousness. Please have a seat," Tarven said, gesturing toward two empty chairs.

"We'd rather not," Vykk said through clenched teeth as his finger quivered over the trigger.

"I insist," Tarven said, his expression becoming deadly serious.

"I said…no," Vykk said, pulling the trigger.

The bolt bore through Tarven's left eye into his brain, killing him almost instantly. Around Vykk, chaos erupted. Brianna had already fallen into a crouch and was busy subduing three of Tarven's cronies. Immediately after firing, Vykk pistol-whipped the man to his immediate right. As he turned toward one of the few thugs left standing, his target shot him point-blank in his right shoulder. Vykk fell to the floor, bleeding profusely. Brianna finished with the other four assailants seconds after Vykk was taken out of the fight. As the final goon adjusted his aim, she swept his legs out from under him and plunged a knife into his chest. Noting the silence, she scanned the surrounding area. Her eyes widened in horror as they fell on Vykk, still bleeding from the shoulder.

"Vykk!" she screamed in anguish, rushing to his side.

She applied pressure on the wound with one hand and looted the dead and unconscious forms around her. A small smile creased her lips as she found a basic med-pack on the man she had stabbed. She used water and antiseptic to clean Vykk's wound, then applied a large bacta patch to stanch the flow of blood. Gingerly, she lifted Vykk's limp form and carried him out of the cantina, hoping vainly that he was alive. No one followed her. Emerging into Tatooine's barren landscape, Brianna oriented herself and proceeded south on the dusty road. Minutes later, she arrived at the medical center. She staggered through the doorway with Vykk still in her arms.

"This man is dying," she wheezed.

The receptionist's eyes threatened to burst from their sockets as she hurriedly called for assistance. Seconds later, four medics stormed into the reception area with a repulsor gurney. They gently laid Vykk atop it and rushed him back the way they had come. Brianna, exhausted, staggered after them. Two left turns brought her to a locked door that read 'Emergency Ward' above it in multiple languages. She leaned against the opposite wall and sank to the floor. Hours later, the door opened, but Brianna had fallen asleep. Recognizing her, the one who opened the door prodded her awake. Recovering her bearings, Brianna shot to her feet. Instead of besieging the medic with questions, she asked one.

"Is he alive?" she asked desperately.

"Yes, but barely," the medic replied tentatively.

"Thank you," Brianna said, sighing with relief.

"We should have him stabilized within the hour. We've replaced most of the blood he lost and are currently immersing him in bacta. We'll notify you when we remove him from the tank and diagnose his condition," the medic added.

Once the medic reentered the emergency ward, Brianna resumed her vigil. Minutes ticked by as if they were hours. Feeling her head droop, Brianna rose immediately and began pacing. She alternated between staring at her chrono and staring at the door to the emergency ward. Shortly after she began rehearsing scenarios in her mind for busting down the door, it opened. The medic barely had time to step aside as Brianna burst into the ward.

Her gaze immediately fell upon Vykk's prostrate form. Her eyes widened as she saw his pale complexion and the various pieces of medical equipment attached to his body. He remained unconscious and his breath came out in rasps faintly heard through his breath mask. As she stared at him worriedly, his eyes fluttered open and almost instantaneously found Brianna's. He tried to smile, but quickly became immersed in a fit of coughing. Brianna's eyes widened in alarm as she saw blood hit the transparent breath mask.

"He still has some internal bleeding, but we've upgraded his condition to stable. You can stay in here, but please don't touch anything or interfere with our work," the chief medic intoned.

Brianna nodded and found a seat against the wall, ten feet from Vykk's stretcher. In her mind, worry fought with relief in a desperate battle for her sanity. On one hand, she was relieved Vykk was stable, but his coughing up blood worried her immensely. Also creeping up from the back of her mind was a heavy feeling of drowsiness, reminding her that she hadn't slept more than a couple hours in the past two days. Finally, she gave in, sinking into the uncomfortable chair as if it was coated in shimmersilk.

"Bri?"

Her eyes flickered open and the room slowly swam into focus. Once the haze cleared, she was staring directly into the most beautiful pair of brown eyes she had ever seen. Pulling him close, she fused her lips with his and coiled her arms around his neck, feeling him wince slightly. She pulled away with a huge grin plastered on her face.

"Hi," she said sweetly.

"Hi yourself," Vykk said, breathing heavily.

"Glad you're awake," she said playfully.

"Likewise," he said dryly.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just need to sit down for a few hours after that," he replied sarcastically.

"Are you fit enough to work?" she queried.

"Nope," Vykk said, shaking his head, "My shoulder still feels tender and the doctor says I need a week of bed rest."

"Bed rest, eh?" Brianna said mischievously.

"Not that kind of bed rest. I'm pretty sure he meant something a little less strenuous. Your offer is a tempting one, though," Vykk said regretfully.

"Alright, I won't prance around naked, further tempting you to violate doctor's orders," she promised.

"That's all I ask," Vykk said blandly.

"Let's go," she said, grinning.

"Are you sure it's okay to be back here?" Vykk asked nervously.

"After the way we left last time, I think they're happy enough that we haven't brought the building down around them," Brianna replied wryly.

"There's still time," he said with a wink.

They performed a cursory scan of the cantina. Aside from a few blaster scars on the wall above the table Tarven had been sitting at during their last visit, the interior of the cantina looked exactly as it did two days ago. Unfortunately, that included the absence of Brianna's contact.

"Sithspit, where is he?" Brianna asked angrily.

"Probably in Imperial custody," Vykk answered, "I know the Eleven won't be happy with you if you report failure, but it's obvious that you've been compromised."

"Won't be happy? They said if I failed them again, I'd be cast out," Brianna said, raising her voice.

Vykk's gaze darted around quickly, and then he whispered, "Let's go back to the ship so we don't make a scene."

Brianna nodded mechanically and they made their way back to the _Lightfinger_. They were given a wide berth due to Brianna's haunted expression. Once Vykk raised the exit ramp, Brianna burst into tears.

"I'm an outcast," she said, sniffling, "Once I report to the Eleven, I'll never be welcome on Emberlene again. After they kick me out, I'll never be able to see home again. I'll be adrift with no purpose."

Vykk enfolded her in a hug and whispered in her ear, "You'll still have me. I can be your purpose just like you're my purpose right now."

"But the place I lived for my entire life…gone," she said, sobbing into Vykk's rapidly dampening sleeve.

"I had the same deal with Corellia until a year ago when the New Republic opened it up. Believe it or not, I know how you feel," Vykk said sympathetically.

Brianna pulled away. "How did you get through it?" she asked hopefully.

"Drinking, smuggling, and more drinking," he replied simply.

"Does it still hurt?" she asked.

"Yeah. I still drink, and it looks like I'm gonna be going back to smuggling. The two of us together will be unstoppable. No one'll be able to touch us," Vykk said proudly.

"My…home," she whimpered.

"Speaking of which, we need to head back there. If we don't return soon, they'll start sending out hunting parties for us. I've seen you fight and I don't want a bunch of Mistryl chasing me all over the galaxy. Come on, Bri," he pleaded.

"Okay," she said dejectedly, following Vykk into the cockpit.

They emerged from hyperspace at Emberlene to find two old Z-95 starfighters waiting for them. Seconds later, the comm crackled to life.

"You are expected. We will escort you to the station. Once there, we will conduct you to the Eleven," one of the pilots said crisply.

"Understood. Lead on," Vykk acknowledged flatly.

After he clicked off the comm, he stole a glance at Brianna, who still had twin rivers of tears running from her eyes to her chin but was otherwise expressionless. His hands and part of his mind dealt with the menial task of following the Z-95s as the rest of him sought desperately to find a way to end Brianna's suffering. It frustrated him to no end that he had no immediate solution. To make things worse, he was about to ask her to do something he knew would do nothing to help her.

"Bri? Bri, look at me. Please," Vykk pleaded.

She slowly turned her eyes to meet his. What he saw plunged an icy knife into his chest. The battle between rage and despair was plainly evident on her face, with a slight indication that despair had gained the upper hand. More startling, however, was that it was equally obvious that she was barely controlling herself. Words failed Vykk for a moment as the raw energy of her features struck him dumb. Eventually, he recovered his voice.

"You have to control yourself in there," he said, resting his hands on her shoulders, "If you don't, they'll probably kill you. We need to get in, get out, then start focusing on our future. Okay?"

Brianna nodded meekly.

"Tell me. Can you do this?" Vykk asked, squeezing her shoulders slightly.

"Y-yes," she rasped.

"Good. We'll get through this. You're stronger than I'll ever be. When you're in there, just remember that I love you and that I'll be waiting for you. I'll be ready to be whatever you need. I'll be a shoulder to cry on, a bitching post, or anything else that'll help you deal with this. It'll be hard, but we can and will get through it," he said with absolute conviction.

They touched down in a hangar identical to the one they were at previously. Vykk immediately lowered the ramp and led Brianna towards the dismounting Z-95 pilots. One put her hand up.

"You may go no further, Mr. Draygo. Only she may accompany us outside the hangar to the chamber of the Eleven," the pilot stated.

Seeking to cause no more problems for Brianna, Vykk merely held up his hands, about-faced, and stalked back to the _Lightfinger_. Once he raised the ramp, the two pilots beckoned Brianna to precede them out the hangar door. She obediently led the way through the squalor to the gleaming citadel. The pilot/guards stood at the entrance while she entered. All but one of the Eleven sat in their chairs atop the dais. They greeted her with furrowed brows. She kneeled, giving the proper gestures of obeisance and waited patiently to be addressed. Nearly an hour later, after they had conducted business with a handful of others, they spoke her name. She raised her head to meet the speaker's eyes.

"Yes, Elder?" she asked.

"You have been brought here due to recent events. We forgave you for losing a highly expensive spacecraft. We allowed you to travel with your lover. You have repaid our benevolence with further incompetence. Our patience has ended. You are no longer fit to bear the title of Mistryl Shadow Guard. Leave Emberlene and never return," the Elder said solemnly, pointing stiffly at the door.

Even knowing what was coming, it hit Brianna hard. She was on the verge of tears, but somehow held firm. She stood stiffly and walked calmly from the room. Once outside, the pilot/guards resumed their positions flanking Brianna on both sides. She didn't break stride or register their presence. Maintaining her composure consumed all of her mental effort.

They arrived at the spaceport to the sight of Vykk standing by the _Lightfinger_ with his arms crossed. Brianna barely resisted a running leap into his arms. Perhaps aware of Brianna's discomfort, one of the pilot/guards turned to Vykk.

"We will escort you from here to the hyperspace jump point. From there, you're free to go wherever you wish. Attempt to return to Emberlene and you will face certain death," the pilot/guard said as they donned their helmets.

Vykk gave a brief nod to show he understood. Then he quickly lowered the ramp and ushered Brianna inside. Though it pained him to leave her alone, he led her to their quarters and locked her in. He was determined to set a record for shortest pre-flight as his hands flew over the board, initiating the _Lightfinger_'s systems. Almost in tandem, the two Z-95s and the _Lightfinger_ lifted off. Ten minutes later, the _Lightfinger_ was in the clear as Vykk pulled the hyperdrive levers back and watched space flare into starlines.

Confident that the _Lightfinger_'s course towards Corellia wouldn't waver, Vykk left the cockpit and made his way to his and Brianna's quarters. He hesitated at the door, unsure of what he would find within. Steeling himself, he opened the door. His mouth gaped open as he saw the destruction Brianna had visited on their quarters. The bed and a handful of other things were all that remained largely untouched. It was on the bed that he found Brianna, curled up into a fetal ball.

"Bri?" he asked uncertainly.

She made no move or sound to acknowledge him. Cautiously, he approached the bed until he was standing almost directly over her. As he leaned down to touch her, she suddenly uncoiled and grabbed him roughly. She slammed him onto the bed and wound her hands around his neck. She rained kisses upon his face and began grinding against him. Profoundly confused, Vykk pushed her until her full weight rested on his hands and she was an arm span above him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, breathing heavily.

"I need this," she said desperately.

"You don't need to…uh…talk or anything?" he asked hesitantly.

"No," she said, shoving his hands off her shoulders and shoving her tongue into his mouth.

Consumed by their passion, it was a long time before either Vykk or Brianna had a coherent thought. But like any fire, theirs eventually reduced itself to cinders, leaving the realization that regardless of what may happen, they would face the future together.


End file.
